


The Pitfalls of Bravery

by chasethewind



Series: Dribbles and Drabbles [6]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Drabble, Gen, Season/Series 02 Spoilers, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-24
Updated: 2013-10-24
Packaged: 2017-12-30 09:12:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1016805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chasethewind/pseuds/chasethewind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My take on what should have happened in 2x03 after Oliver saves Felicity from Mathis. Spoilers abound!</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Pitfalls of Bravery

What had she been thinking? What. Had. She. Been. THINKING? Yes, the casino heist hadn’t been a problem. Neither had been breaking into Merlyn Global. Hell, even jumping out of a plane wasn’t that bad, not when compared to being grabbed by a serial killer who turned his victims into porcelain dolls just because they had pretty skin.

When Felicity Smoak had opened her mouth to offer up her idea then volunteer to do it, she hadn’t been thinking much about the consequences because she knew they’d be there to watch over her. That had been a stupid way of thinking. Barton Mathis was smart and pretty evil. Not to mention, he had a scary way of creeping up on you when you weren’t paying attention.

That had been her mistake. She hadn’t been paying attention when she stepped into the alley and bumped right into him. A scream barely escaped her lips, but she knew they’d find her. She knew they were all there to protect her and take Mathis down. All she needed to do was struggle with him long enough for either Oliver, Lance or Diggle to get to them and it would be over.

What Felicity hadn’t anticipated was for her attacker to be so strong. He’d managed to drag her far into the alley before she heard Oliver’s arrow wiz past her head and hit Mathis. That’s when he finally released her and she stumbled forward, tripping on her own feet before falling to the ground and skidding across wet asphalt. She stopped when her head slammed into a wooden crate.

Pain exploded through her skull and for a moment Felicity thought she’d black out. Soon someone was kneeling down beside her. “You alright?” Oliver’s voice cut through the pain, his hand reaching out to check her injuries as she lay prone on the cold, wet ground. She finally felt safe again knowing he was beside her.

His arm moved and suddenly he was leaning over her, that protective stance allowing Felicity to focus only on him. Her hand dropped to her side and landed on his leather clad forearm, squeezing it gently to reassure him that she would be okay even though her head hurt like hell. “Don’t move,” Oliver softly ordered, his fingers now resting against her side stroking through the cotton of her pink shirt to let her know she was safe.

A moment later someone else ran past and Oliver’s attention refocused on the chase. But he remained at her side until Diggle reached them. “She hit her head,” he told his bodyguard then shot up and sprinted away. Although she felt safe with Diggle there, she realized she really wanted it to be Oliver instead. But this mission to catch Mathis before he did anything to another girl had forced him into action.

The thoughts of why this had been a good idea in the first place filtered through Felicity’s mind yet again as she raised her hand and pressed it to the lump forming at the back of her head. Diggle gently slipped his arm beneath her neck and helped her sit up then began assessing her for any other injuries. Aside from the lump, she knew there would be bruising around her wrists where Mathis had held her tight until she was able to get away, but those weren’t serious enough to warrant attention.

Felicity yelped when Diggle’s fingers pressed a little too hard against her skull where it had hit the crate. When he pulled them back, she could see something dark coating them. “Damn,” he muttered under his breath. “Time to get you back to Verdant and check you out properly. Think you can stand?” he asked.

“Is that…?” Felicity already knew the answer to that question. She swallowed hard. It was undoubtedly her blood on his fingers, and she couldn’t help but wonder what Oliver would say when he got back that evening.

Soon enough, she found out. His heavy footfalls against the metal staircase echoed through the quiet room as Diggle placed the last stitch in her scalp using the self dissolving sutures she’d specially ordered so there would be no need to remove them at a later date. The cut to her had been pretty nasty, hence the stitches, but at least she didn’t have a concussion. Still, hearing the way Oliver’s breath caught when he saw her sitting on the medical table with her head hung low and her eyes on her shoes made Felicity wish she hadn’t volunteered for this mission.

She hazarded a glance up when Diggle moved to throw out the remnants of her wild night. He was caught in a staring match with Oliver, both of them having a silent conversation until their gaze turned to Felicity. Her eyes immediately found something more interesting to look at on the floor. Oliver was at her side a moment later, his hand coming to rest against her shoulder. Slowly, she raised her head, hoping he wouldn’t catch the fear and regret in her eyes.

“You okay?” he asked gruffly. She could tell he was trying to keep the anger out of his voice but was failing miserably. Oliver had every right to be angry with her. This was her hair-brained scheme after all. She had been the one to suggest it then stubbornly put herself out as the bait.

“Yeah,” Felicity nodded, but quickly regretted it when her head began to swim. She raised her hand and pressed it to her forehead, hoping the dizziness would go away while swallowing down the bile that rose to her throat.

“You didn’t have to do this,” Oliver said as his hand inched up towards her neck until his fingers were lightly grazing the soft hairs that fell from her ponytail. The anger in his voice had ebbed until there was only a trace of it left.

“I know,” she replied. “I just thought it would be helpful, you know?” Tears pricked the corners of her eyes as Felicity added, “But look what happened… Lance is in jail, Mathis got away and I hit my head. It was all for nothing. This was such a dumb idea. What was I thinking?”

The tears fell freely from her eyes as she stared down at her feet. She heard Oliver sigh but then his arms were around her, surrounding her in a hug she felt she was unworthy of at that moment. “We all make mistakes,” he whispered into her ear. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.”

“What? No! Oliver, this isn’t your fault!” Felicity suddenly pulled back and stared at him, the shock clear on her face. Why was he blaming himself for this? It wasn’t his plan. When their eyes met, she could see the pain clear as day. That was Oliver, though, taking everyone’s pain and making it his own.

Without hesitation, she reached up and took his face in her hands, her thumbs stroking across his cheekbones. In the past few weeks she’d become much bolder not with just her words, but with her hands as well. Felicity hadn’t been afraid to stand up to him when need be and give him comfort when he deserved it. Tonight, more than any night since his return to Starling City, Oliver needed that reassurance only a select few people could give him.

“Hey, I’m fine now,” Felicity said as a soft smile turned up her lips. “You were there for me when I needed you and that’s what counts. We’ll get Mathis before he strikes again.”

The slight uptick of Oliver’s lips let her know she’d gotten through to him. Felicity let her hands drop to her lap as she stared up at her hero in green. “You should go home and get some rest,” he said. And just like that, the conversation was over.

Oliver pulled back from her and began to shed the leather jacket from his shoulders. She watched him for a moment, the tension in his shoulders easing as he stripped off the sweat soaked t-shirt underneath and let it drop to one of the work tables. With a sigh, Felicity slid off the table and reached for the blue cardigan she’d been wearing earlier. Slipping it on, she grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder.

“Good night,” she called out to both Oliver and Diggle before making her way up the stairs. She heard them both return the sentiment simultaneously and disappeared through the door.

The following morning when she logged into her bank account, Felicity found a deposit had been made for not just all the cream she’d bough the night before, but for a little extra. There was a note attached to the transaction. “You’re brave and remarkable,” was all it said and she smiled.


End file.
